Question
Hello,

My dog ingested about a mouthful of black walnut sawdust. I had cut up the fallen tree an hour or two before with the chainsaw. That evening she became very ill--vomited 5 times (and I could see shavings in her vomit), lethargic, could not walk/support her weight, joint pain, dehydrated, and elevated liver enzymes. She spent 4 days hospitalized and is still not 100%. None of the ER vets nor the internal medicine specialist think black walnut is a possibility. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.

Thank you.  

Answer
Walnuts. When dogs eat the seed hulls, they can get an upset stomach and diarrhea. The real problem is the fungus or mold that attacks walnuts after they get wet (from rain or sprinklers), which produces toxins. If the fungus or mold is ingested by your dogs, they can become very ill and possibly die. Signs that should alert you to walnut poisoning are vomiting, trembling, drooling, lack of coordination, lethargy, loss of appetite, and jaundice indications such as yellowing eyes and gums. Severely affected dogs can produce blood-tinged vomit or stools. Dogs can take several days to exhibit serious signs of illness.

http://lacetoleather.com/fataltodogs.html

Have read about sawdust could be a problem and should exhibit the above same signs.